Stevenson called a controversial new law intended to encourage small school districts to consolidate ``dictatorial and ambiguous,`` and said school mergers should be based solely on improving the quality of education.

``A school isn`t bad because it`s small. . . . A school is bad because it doesn`t educate our children well,`` the former U.S. senator said.

As part of its sweeping education reform plan adopted in July, the General Assembly passed a provision requiring school reorganization committees in each county to submit maps to the Illinois State Board of Education by June showing how the state`s 999 school districts can be consolidated into fewer, larger districts.

Those maps must have high school districts with at least 500 students, elementary districts with at least 1,000 students and unit districts with at least 1,500 students. These reorganization proposals must be voted on by residents of the affected school districts in a 1987 referendum.

School consolidation is opposed by many suburban and Downstate school officials. Advocates of consolidation say the state`s large number of small districts waste money because of duplicated administrative systems.

Stevenson accused Gov. James Thompson of ``backtracking`` on the consolidation issue.

Apparently feeling the pressure from consolidation foes, Thompson sent a letter to state school officials last month vowing to veto any legislation that would remove the voters` right to reject a school reorganization plan.

But a Thompson spokesman said Stevenson ``was silent`` during the legislative debate on school consolidation last spring and said the Democratic hopeful misrepresented the governor`s position on the law.

The minimum enrollment figures in the consolidation law were intended to be guidelines, not mandated requirements, the spokesman said.